Charity hopes to ‘reimagine’ green spaces for BAME groups

An independent charity dedicated to “reimaging parks” hopes to increase the chances of people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups visiting parks and green spaces through undertaking a one of its kind research.

In findings by a 2021 Groundwork study, it was seen that only 46% of people from BAME groups were likely to use parks.

This meant that over 50% of the BAME group was missing out on access to parks and green spaces, raising questions about their experiences in these places.

Findings from this research will be turned into actionable solutions through their Reimaging Parks Campaign.

For the research, Your Parks Bristol & Bath will be holding sessions in some areas with “highest deprivation” in Bristol and Bath including Lawrence Hill, Easton, Knowle, Whitchurch and Southmead.

CEO of YPBB, Charlee Bennett, called this a way to find “potential solutions” in helping the charity reimagine parks.

She said: “There’s a solid base of research that shows spending time in green spaces has significant mental and physical health benefits, but we know that not everyone has equal access to or uses them.

“We want to understand the experiences of ethnic groups that are using them relatively infrequently, and we want to know what the barriers are so that we can really focus on the potential solutions and action them through into our Reimagining Parks campaign.”

The in-person groups across Bristol and Bath will be assisted by translators, to make the experience seamless for people of all cultures. Participants will also be handed £30 vouchers as a token of gratitude for their time and contribution.

The research involves contributions from YPBB, the University of Bath and a PhD student Zina Abdulla.

Abdulla emphasised the “immense benefits” associated with green spaces – a key driver for the campaign.

She said: “I’m so excited to be working with Your Park Bristol & Bath on this project as part of my PhD, I feel really passionate about green equity and environmental design in urban areas.

“Green spaces have immense benefits to our physical and mental wellbeing, including lowering our stress and increasing natural chemicals that make us feel happy, and there are design changes that are usually quite simple that we can make to increase accessibility to these spaces.”